Final Fantasy XVI Guide | Best Abilities To Unlock First

In Final Fantasy XVI, mastery over battle mechanics is essentially a matter of acquiring talents that enhance your way of combat, whether for an offensive, crowd-controlling, or defensive position. The right skills will make a great difference in your travels across Valisthea. Further on, we will take a look at which talents will be the most effective to unlock first and how they can help you get through some of the early stages of the game.

Importance of Timing: Precision Dodge and Counter 

Precision Dodge is a core skill in Final Fantasy XVI, which allows you to dodge opponent strikes by perfectly timing your actions. Not only does this skill save your life, but it opens up opportunities for counterattacks. 

If paired with the skill called Precision Counter, you would immediately strike after a successful dodge and cause serious damage. Such abilities turn out very helpful against agile opponents and bosses, whose attack patterns are hard to predict; thus, they become pretty indispensable right from the first minutes of playing. 

Increasing Melee Power: Charged Shot and Lunge

Players who prefer close-range combat will have a significantly increased bar of offense once Charged Shot and Lunge are unlocked early. Hold the attack button down, and you will unleash an even stronger attack that will break through most defenses or deliver a high-damage blow to stagger opponents. 

Meanwhile, Lungs is used to quickly close up the distance towards a target, which also makes applying pressure onto said target much easier. These are particularly effective against opponents using range strikes or constantly repositioning themselves. 

Dominance in Eikon Battles: Heatwave & Phoenix Shift

With the new Eikon combat in Final Fantasy XVI, the usage of special abilities could become your successful leverage. For instance, the Heatwave ability, which involves some aspects of Garuda's powers, lets you unfold a flurry of swift wind-based attacks. 

It's one of those skills that's fairly good at dealing damage and impeding attacks from opponents. Similarly, its Eikon ability, Phoenix Shift, focuses on mobility-you are basically teleported right on top of an enemy, something great to initiate or get out of a precarious situation. They also play nice with other Eikon talents for a fairly balanced approach to offense and defense. 

Crowd Control: Wicked Wheel and Flames of Rebirth

It is crucial during crowd control when facing multiple opponents. Wicked Wheel is another Garuda ability that initiates a spinning attack for damage in a large radius. It comes in handy when you need to eliminate lesser opponents quickly or break the enemy formation. 

Flames of Rebirth, a Phoenix ability, builds on that with heavy fire-based damage in an area and slightly heals you. With these combos, you are free to take on hordes of foes without putting your health and resources at risk.

Maximizing Stagger Potential: Deadly Embrace, Upheaval

The use of staggers is one of the most important parts of the fighting system in Final Fantasy XVI, and being able to acquire new skills that increase stagger potential can really make a difference when facing off against a tough fight. Deadly Embrace is another Garuda ability that closes in baddies to his location, so they are pretty much wide open for follow-up attacks. 

This is especially good to get the more threatening opponents out of groups. Upheaval, tied to Titan's Eikon, unleashes a devastating ground-based attack that provides huge stagger damage, making it indispensable in boss engagements where the stagger proves crucial.

Boosting Defense: Counter Stance and Will-o'-the-Wykes

Abilities such as Counter Stance and Will-o'-the-Wykes are some of the great tools for players who would want to get by with a more defensive playstyle. The former allows you to take a defensive stance and launch a deadly counterattack upon being hit. 

Great for aggressive enemies, it punishes them on the spot. On the other hand, Will-o'-the-Wykes calls rings of fire down to dance around you, damaging enemies who come within reach. That's a very good passive defense mechanism, especially when one is surrounded.

Master the Combo Potential: Rook's Gambit and Ignition

Learning the abilities that give you more combo potential makes battles go so smoothly and satisfying. The Garuda-based ability Rook's Gambit allows you to deflect the opponent's blows and answer with a quick follow-through. It's a really classy way to keep the flow in combat while giving your adversary a nice beatdown for his aggressiveness. 

On the other hand, Ignition is fire-based and will let you charge into battle with flames all around you, damaging all enemies in your path. This is a great combo initiator or finisher because, with this, you are assured of continuous pressure.

Building Your Build Towards Success 

The above-mentioned skills are divided into offense-based, defense-based, and utility-based categories; they will fit a wide range of player preferences. From agility and quick reflexes to raw power and staying power, they will serve as a reliable foundation in combat. 

Continue with Final Fantasy XVI, and make sure that you keep trying multiple combinations of Eikon skills for hopefully even better synergies fitting your strategy. You'll like taking your time in that wonderful world of Valisthea while all the required skills unlock a lot more quickly.

Also, check our Final Fantasy XVI Review and other guides below:

• Final Fantasy XVI | Beginner's Guide 
• Final Fantasy XVI | Best Early Game Tips & Tricks
• Final Fantasy XVI Guide | Best Ways To Farm XP